Archive for Lawn
February 26, 2009 at 4:23 pm · Filed under Lawn
Shears are among the most versatile tools for lawn and garden care. Though similar to garden scissors, they differ in several important ways - ways that make life easier for home lawn care workers. Ordinary scissors produce a shearing force by holding material between two hard, sharp edges. That’s where shears get their name. But a modification of this scheme results in a tool called ‘bypass shears’.
Bypass shears have blades that are designed to bypass each other, applying a shearing force as the cutting edges move past one another. They come in a dozen varieties, each with its own ideal use.
The largest type are grass or hedge shears. Very long-handled, they provide a long cutting surface to cut the maximum amount of material in one clamping.
Long blade shears are most like heavy duty scissors, about 8 inches total, often having rubberized grips around the straight handles for easy grabbing. Perfect for snipping flowers or fruit.
Pruning shears, by contrast, typically have two moon-shaped blades, one with a convex crescent, the other concave. The enlarged-oval handles and the blade design allow the user to apply a large force, needed for cutting the woody stems of herbs and small fruit tree branches. A variation has a set of circular, saw-toothed, metal blades that are great for grabbing or cutting larger branches.
Either long blade or pruning shears are often complemented by a handy spring and latch mechanism. The spring separates the blades when the user eases pressure on the handles, saving him or her the effort of opening the blades when wearing gloves. The latch is there to keep them clamped shut, and the blades together, when stored away. That added safety feature has a side-benefit: it makes them easy to hang on a hook.
Garden scissors are sometimes confused with shears, but they have very large open handles and shorter straight blades. They’re used not for pruning, but for cutting twine, opening packages, cutting weed cloth, etc. An ordinary pair of house scissors could do the job in a pinch, but garden scissors are typically stronger and more durable. The blades are very tough and sharpen up well.
Though we often look on these tools as ‘merely’ useful, which they are, our ancestors regarded them as highly prized possessions. Often referred to today as ‘ordinary garden tools’, two hundred years ago they would have been worth a great deal.
But one thing is still true today that was true then. A good pair of shears, properly maintained, can last for 20 years or more. Tempered, forged steel, an adjustable screw to tighten loose blades and high quality plastic or rubberized grips that last are all essential. Look for quality, spend a little more and you’ll be rewarded with a generation’s worth of value.
February 26, 2009 at 4:22 pm · Filed under Lawn
Having an array of lawn and garden tools is a must for proper care. But no matter how many hoes, shears or shovels you have one thing remains true: lawn care uses chemicals.
Those chemicals may be in the modern form of commercially manufactured fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers. Or they may be ‘organic’ (a misleading term, since nearly all artificially produced chemicals are organic compounds as well. But in either case, they are best spread using a spreader or sprayer.
One of the handiest tools for that purpose is a broadcast spreader. A tub on wheels with a handle and handlebars, it dispenses material out a series of holes in the bottom when the user walks forward and squeezes a lever. A dial allows the user to set the amount spread by adjusting the size of the holes.
To use a broadcast spreader is simple, if a few simple guidelines are followed.
The first step is to read the directions carefully on the package of material to be dispensed. The directions will state the setting needed for that compound and when it can be applied. Some should be applied, then watered into the soil. Others will become ineffective if rain follows within 24 hours. Applying too little results in the failure to kill weeds or green up or failure to kill pests. Too much can lead to burned lawns and wasted product.
Most applications involve spreading chemicals that can be potentially harmful to skin, eyes or lungs. Herbicides and most pesticides fall into that category. Wear proper gloves (often neoprene gloves do the job) and if necessary a mask.
A simple test can help determine whether the amount is what’s desired. Clear the driveway of gravel and dirt and dispense an amount in some part of a rectangular spiral, for a dozen feet per side or so. The package will usually give information about how much is laid down for a particular setting. Just compare. The dials and hole systems are usually well manufactured so you have little to worry about.
Adjust the dial according to your test and note that broadcast spreaders fling material in a wide arc (usually 180 degrees), about 5-10ft. The distance depends on how fast you push, since the wheel and axle are connected to the mechanism that throws the compound out. The faster you push, the farther it goes.
Keep in mind that the pattern will dispense a large amount of material over a wide area. If you need to be more precise, use a drop spreader instead. Drop spreaders simply open the holes and allow gravity to dispense the material.
They’re ideal for areas near the edge of a lawn, such as near sidewalks. But, since they’re only about two feet wide, they can’t cover an area as quickly. Also, it’s necessary to use a drop spreader very carefully in order to avoid overlap or gaps.
Many broadcast spreaders are designed to overcome that problem to a degree by flinging more to one side than the other. This way, it’s possible to get fairly close to the edge without throwing material onto the sidewalk. Which side that is, and whether yours works that way, is easy to observe during your test.
From here on, the task is easy. Simply walk up and down the lawn along rows as if you were plowing a field. Or, walk around in a rectangular spiral. Start at the center and work out, but take care not to overlay too much material where it’s been dispensed already. As you make a turn, briefly release the lever. Then once you’ve made the 90 degree left or right hand turn, clamp it to begin dispensing again.
Keep the tub close to level to avoid flinging material too high up or (worse) at too low an angle into the ground. The dial settings assume a level dispersion pattern.
February 11, 2009 at 4:35 pm · Filed under Lawn
The two most basic chemicals your lawn needs are water and fertilizer.
These two work together to give your lawn everything it needs from you. The rest it gets for itself. Even these, of course, may be supplied in other forms or from other sources, depending on the soil and climate.
One of the most common difficulties in proper lawn care is how much and when to apply either of these. To overcome those problems, though, is relatively simple.
Scotts and other commercial fertilizer makers have special preparations, with directions that show you how and when to apply the contents. Following the directions is about the simplest method for application.
Take care, though, to factor in specifics about your circumstances. Be sure to check the weather forecast for the upcoming 48 hours after the day you plan to apply. Some mixtures work best if they’ve been leached into the soil by a couple of hours of light rain or 15 minutes of sprinkler watering. Others will be washed away or diluted by that.
Applying the Spring fertilizer is best done as early as possible in the season. Clearly, if you live in an area where snow is still on the ground in May, you can’t properly apply the compound with a spreader. But getting it down as early as possible has several benefits.
New seeds laid down the previous Fall will be starting to germinate. Giving them that additional assistance early will help them gain the most advantage over competing plants like crabgrass or weeds. Feeding early also helps when the mixture contains (as it frequently does) compounds which help fight lawn insects.
Japanese Beetle grubs and other insects destroy lawns. Most of them do this by feeding on the roots as the young shoots are sprouting when the insects are still in the larvae stage. Once they’ve begun that process, if not stopped right away, your lawn in that area is dead for at least that year.
Rarely will you be successful even replanting the same year, since the damage doesn’t usually show up until later in the Spring or early Summer. By that time, the infestation is advanced. Sometimes it will take two or three years for the lawn to fully recover. Head the problem off by laying down grub-killing fertilizer before you even know you have a problem. These are sometimes called pre-emergent herbicides.
Fertilizers can be overdone, though, so exercise caution. Applying them too frequently or during hot weather can burn your lawn. Most contain the proper amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements to help Spring blooming grass. But in areas where the soil is already amply supplied, the grass gets too much. Like any living thing, getting too much of an element is often as bad as getting too little.
Be sure to measure and factor in pH - the degree of acidity or alkalinity of your lawn. Lawns like a neutral pH, like that of water. Too acid and you’ll have moss and other grass-crowding growth. Too alkaline and salts get concentrated and water absorption altered.
Keep to a regular fertilizing schedule with an adjustable spreader and your lawn will be green and weeds and insects will be minimized.
July 3, 2007 at 11:46 pm · Filed under Lawn
Apart from your lawnmower, the trimmer or edger may be the tool you use most. Very few lawnmowers will get everything, since most lawns butt up against a wall, patio bricks or have trees in the lawn. As a result, the only way to keep that lawn looking really neat is to finish the job with an edger of some kind.
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June 15, 2007 at 10:41 am · Filed under Videos, Lawn
This is a short but informative video on how to fertilize your lawn and plants. The video explains when to fertilize, what fertilizer to use and how to use fertilize effectively.
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June 7, 2007 at 7:36 pm · Filed under Lawn
It’s only been just over a hundred fifty years since grass was cut with a hand scythe - if it was cut at all. That was about the extent of lawn care then. Now, there are a dozen tools - some hand, some power, that are considered essential for keeping that green carpet in shape.
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